JCCI Environmental Forum 2008 underway in Jeddah

April 23, 2008

The first Environmental Forum 2008 began at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce yesterday with the theme of “Restore, Protect and Sustain,” the Arab News reported today.

During a session yesterday, Cristiana Pasca of Romania-Fletcher School of the Medford, MA-based Tufts University gave an overview of environmental problems prevailing worldwide and urged the corporate sector to go beyond its social responsibility to face the challenges of the environment in the 21st century. She noted that recycling is one of the key programs that private sector companies should adopt as part of their social responsibility initiatives.

Habib Alshuwaikhat, professor of sustainable urban planning and development at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, gave a presentation on implementation of strategic environmental assessment in municipalities as part of the Kingdom’s march toward sustainable cities.

The day’s various sections dealt with the Jeddah environment plan and the water crisis in the Gulf. There were presentations on issues, challenges and solutions related to the water crisis in addition to marine pollution.

In remarks at the opening ceremony April 21, Governor of Makkah Province Prince Khalid Al-Faisal said that Saudi Arabia had realized much earlier about the consequences of the neglect of the environment and had been taking measures from time to time. “The Kingdom has been playing an active role in protecting the environment at both local and international levels,” he said, as quoted in the Arab News.

The three-day forum is organized by the JCCI environment committee in partnership with the Presidency of Meteorology and the Environment, Saudi Society of Environmental Sciences and Saudi Society for the Environment, as well as social organizations and companies concerned with environmental safety.